Hurricane Irma strengthening in the Atlantic

Same here. No news as of yet other then that the main communication tower at the airport fell down. So no power and no communication besides local
landlines. And looking at the devastation i can imagine that personal equipment like phones or so can easily be ruined too.

Hurricane Irma continues to have an impressive satellite
presentation with a very distinct eye. There is not much more to add
about the current intensity except that numerous data from the Air
Force reconnaissance plane indicate that the winds remain at 150
kt.

The environment along the future track of Irma is favorable for the
hurricane to maintain most of its current intensity, although some
fluctuations are likely due to eyewall replacement cycles which are
difficult to predict. There are no obvious reasons why Irma should
not remain a powerful major hurricane for the next 3 days while it
is heading for Florida or its adjacent surroundings. Thereafter, an
increase in the wind shear and the interaction with land should lead
to gradual weakening.

The best estimate of the initial motion is toward the west-northwest
or 285 degrees at 14 kt. Irma is being steered by the flow around
the south side of the subtropical ridge, but in 2 or 3 days the
hurricane is expected to be located on the southwestern edge of the
aforementioned ridge, and a turn to the northwest and north-
northwest should then begin. The forecast track for the first 2 days
was adjusted a little bit to the south given that the ridge to the
north continues to be strong, and the ECMWF and HFIP corrected
consensus (HCCA) models have shifted southward a little bit. These
two models have been performing very well during Irma. This
adjustment also results in a westward shift of the track near
Florida and northward.

a reply to: ProphetZoroaster
Had to take my mom to the dentist today. All the gas stations except for two, were out of gas, and I doubt that everyone in those lines, got gas
before those two ran empty.

I noticed that everyone was super friendly, very talkative and wishing each other well.

Almost all that I talked to said were boarded and prepared, but I saw a lot of houses without their hurricane shutters up yet.

I hope they don't wait until the last minute, because though they say Irma is not likely to hit before Sunday morning, there will be squalls prior to
that, and it will slow the process down and make it a bit harder.

People in my neck of the woods are always pretty friendly. What surprised me, a bit, is that I was down in the city part of West Palm Beach. Usually
people are glued to their cell phones and sprinting past you without seeing you. Not today.

Hello, I was wondering how much the plywood costs per sheet? Or is it free like the sand bags?

I wonder if people fight over these free supplies?
Here in Vancouver this winter they offered free sand (I bucket each) to spread on their driveways and walkways. People were just insane. One asshole
went to the beach with a dump truck stealing that sand which was actually of no use anyways.ruining our beaches! Others got greedy taking more than
allowed.
We had unprecedented snowfall

Every stinkin model.........
Every one is just a few miles east or west of the next.
No matter how you plugin the variables its always the same.
If you are down there, now's the time to CYA. ( Carry your ass !!)

We been monitoring major routes thru FDoT.
Nobody is leaving, what the hell ?

a reply to: antar
I don't live in an area where sand bags would do much good.

All of Florida has the possibility of flooding but if it floods out here in these woods, a thousand sand bags wouldn't do a darn bit of good.

Got my kayak, three of them to be exact. Since we only have a single dirt road with one way in and one way out, if it floods that bad, I guess I could
use them to make it to higher ground, or maybe the Sheriff's department will rescue me by air boat.

a reply to: flatbush71
I guess some people aren't in a position to leave, but most are. I saw one woman on tv acting all like it's nothing to worry about, " we ride these
out all the time", not a care in the world. Good luck to her. She didn't even have a back up plan in case she changes her mind. I don't recall where
she lived.

Just heard that they have made Belle Glade, Pahokee, and Canal Point, mandatory evacuation zones.

That is not good. I pray it is not because they fear a breech of the levee.

Addendum
EOC said the reason for the mandatory evacuation of Belle Glade, Pahokee, and Canal Point, is not because they expect a water event, it is because a
large number of the homes are poorly constructed, and they don't believe they will be able to withstand the force of Irma.

For people wondering what was protecting the Gulf coast all these years from major Hurricanes, El Nino/La Nina cycles would rip the tops of this
storms as the trade winds shifted.

These years expect El Nino hasn't come and the reason for the delay is not known. It might be climate change which has abnormally heated the Pacific
Ocean preventing the temperature contrast which triggers both El Nino and La Nina. Or this is just a normal suspicion of that effect, meaning there
was always going to be big storms. But we do know that Global Warming is making the storms more frequent and more severe, so this may be the new norm.

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